Sunrise on the Hudson (Holy Cross Monastery) - sold

6"x8" oil on Belgian linen mounted on professional artboard (Raymar)

The second morning of my stay at Holy Cross Monastery last week, I was up before dawn & wondered if we'd have rain again. The sky was covered in that same dark slab of gray - heavy rainclouds. But over the distant horizon, there was a slender break in the sky, and when the sun began to rise, just clearing the far treeline, it began with pink light stretching through that part of the sky, and the piercing diamond briliance of the sun itself. There was only a narrow place for it to rise before being blocked for the day by that slab of raincloud just above. I had been in the moody dumps looking at that raincloud, almost allowing myself to wallow in the misery of the thoughts of a long, dark winter beginning. The incredible daybreak....that I swear was 'sneaked' in just for me - was like a promise of better things, just hang in there through the much needed rain. So it was bright for a moment, when the sun found that space in the clouds to shine through and spread beautiful colors across the sky. Once it continued to rise it was well behind the big slab of those heavy rainclouds. But I kept that sunrise in my memory (and in this painting)- I can't tell you how good it made me feel to think of that all through that rainy day!